Smart teams take the best player available at premium positions (OL, DL, CB, WR) in the first round, REGARDLESS OF CURRENT NEED.

That's what the Falcons should do. They should simply not care at all how "old" their RBs are, or how "good" the rest of their team looks. What if Jonathan Abraham is toast next season and they suddenly have no pass rush? What if their LT suddenly suffers a career ending injury? All of these scenarios basically mean that NO POSITION on a team is ever not a need. All positions on a team, even on the most well-stocked 14-2/15-1 team, is one or two injuries away from being a "need". And these are positions that are vastly more important (pass protection and pass rush) than the RB position.

Even if both RBs drop off next year, they can fill it in with some late round pick or free agent. The position is simply not important enough to NFL offense that this will affect them greatly. As long as Matt Ryan is the quarterback of the team and he's throwing to Julio Jones and Roddy White, the Falcons will have an elite offense, regardless of RB.

That's why drafting for need is absolutely the worst possible thing a General Manager can do to a team. ALWAYS draft Best Player Available, and at PREMIUM positions (that means NO RBs in the first round, and probably no non-pass-rushing or non-pass-covering defensive players as well, and clearly no punters, kickers, fullbacks, and the like).

i could type part of this in all caps as well to make a point but BPA is a myth, there is always a marriage between value, need and fit. The trick is to manipulate your draft in such a way you can get really high value yet still address depth issues.

you mention that every team is one or two injuries away of having a need but sadly enough there are size restrictions to an nfl roster and certain rushes of injuries either cant be planned for or planning for them takes so much away from other positions that its flat out irresponsible.

of course im not argueing reaching for a need but on the same note just picking whoever is the "best player available" without considering how he fits in your program is equally ********.

Incidentally, I love Stacy too, think he carried that Vanderbilt team the past couple years. And he will be available in the 5th/6th and most likely out-produce the majority of RBs taken ahead of him. RBs are dime-a-dozen and an utter waste of high draft picks.

Heck, I'm a Vikings fan, and although Adrian Peterson has been the one exception to the high RB pick, even he hasn't been nearly as good as people assume.

Most forget it was Peterson, not Favre or the dirty Saints D, that was the main reason a vastly-superior Vikings lost the '09 NFC Conference Championship. Despite having fumbled 7 times in the regular season that year (losing 6), a 3rd year AD still hasn't grasped the importance of the most basic RB task: securing the football. Although Favre was credited with 2 of them as they occurred on the exchange (although both were clearly Peterson's fault) he fumbled 4 times that game, losing 2 of them.

100% serious. Sure, he got us to the playoffs this year, but even with Ponder healthy, we had a snowball's chance in hell of actually making the SB.

The one year ('09) when we actually had a good QB and were legitimate title contenders, he coughed up the NFC championship game.

No player can single-handedly carry a team to the superbowl. And you said AD wasn't as good as people thought he'd be. Serious? He's the best running back in the league. I'm not quite sure what you think the Vikings thought he'd be when they picked him...

Go back and look at the first round of that draft. Calvin Johnson and Darrelle Revis are probably the only players the Vikings would consider over Peterson. And Johnson was picked #2 so they couldn't have got him anyway.

I think some team is going to be very happy after they take Zac Stacy with a mid-round pick.

I agree with that...good looking RB...built for the next level and can pass protect. Look forward to seeing him in the Shrine game....nobody thought Morris would go and do what he did. Stacy definitely worth keeping an eye on.

I wouldn't take Eddie Lacy in the first round. No matter how he times, he doesn't play that fast. He's great near the LoS (with a fantastic OL, no less), but if I'm going to spend a premium pick on a running back, I want him to be able to hit home runs, not just singles.

Which is not to say he won't go in the first, I just would never take him there.

I wouldn't take Eddie Lacy in the first round. No matter how he times, he doesn't play that fast. He's great near the LoS (with a fantastic OL, no less), but if I'm going to spend a premium pick on a running back, I want him to be able to hit home runs, not just singles.

Which is not to say he won't go in the first, I just would never take him there.

I don't think he will go in the first either. He's not going to be a guy that you want to give 25 carries a game, because he isn't dynamic enough. You'd need a faster guy to split carries with him. Kinda like the Bradshaw/Jacobs situation for the Giants last season.

I don't think he will go in the first either. He's not going to be a guy that you want to give 25 carries a game, because he isn't dynamic enough. You'd need a faster guy to split carries with him. Kinda like the Bradshaw/Jacobs situation for the Giants last season.

Lacy would be a great pick for the Giants....great 1-2 punch with him for power and wilson for speed.

They need him or Bell from Michigan State as a power back....Bradshaw seems close to being done and Andre Brown is a question mark after broken leg. I'd say get Lacy anyplace you can get him...but he's a steal for the Giants in round 2. Round 1 wouldn't be so terrible...a better running game and they can contend for a Super Bowl again.